Airship



K. A. ENLIND.

AIRSHIP.

APPLICATION HLED FEB. 14. 19:9.

Patented Jan. 11, 1921.

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AIRSH|P. APPLICATION FILED FEB. I4, 1919.

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INVENTOR HarmtcAEnlind,

Arm/mus WITNESSES K. A. ENLiND.

AIRSH-IP.

APPLICAHON FILED FEB. .14. 1919.

Patented Jamll, 1921.

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KANU'TE Anvrnnntnvn, or 'wnsnrnetrou, nrsrnror or COLUMBIA.

flying machines of the lighter-than-air type,

known as airships, my object being the provision of an airship, the construction of which will reduce the number of essential major parts and will increase its strength, durability and general effectiveness.

More especially, myinvention proposes an airship having rigid envelops or gas tanks,

certain of which are rotatable and provided with means so that upon their rotation theyserve to drive the ship through the air, and my invention proposes the use of propellers having the function also of sustaining, the ship in the air.

1n the accompanying drawings illustrating my present invention,-

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the airship,

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section through one of the rotatable gas tanks,

Fig. 3 is a vertical cross section taken substantially on line 33 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 1 is a detail perspective view of a portion of one of the rotatable gas tanks,

Fig. 5 is a detail cross section taken sub stantially on line 5-5 of Fig. 2,

Fig. 6 is a vertical longitudinal section through the central stationary gas tank,

Fig. 7 is a detail sectional view of one of the shaft connections,

Fig. 8 is a vertical cross section taken substantially on line 8-8 of Fig. 6, and

Fig. 9 is a detail perspective view of a slightly modified form of rotating means on the gas tank.

Referring now to these figures, my invention proposes an airship in which the car or body 10 is suspended in any suitable manner as by means of either flexible or inflexible connections, or both, from a gas envelop or tank 11, which is rigid in its nature, and cylindrical in form, this tank being provided with an axially disposed tube 12 extending entirely therethrough as seen in Fig. 6, and open at its opposite ends, for

Specification of Letters l atent Patented Application filed February 14, 1919. Serial Na 277,006.;

. '1 the reception of a shaft 13 rotatable within ARVID EN the tube 12.

For thesupport ofthe car 10in its sus-' pended-relation below the gas envelop or tank 11, this tank maybe encircled by bands 141 to which the supporting wires 15 lead from the said car, and for the further support of the car if so desired, uprights 16 may" lead therefrom in avertical direction and connectto arms .17 depending within the tank llfr'om the central portion of its bearing tube 12, as seen best in Fig. 6.

Mounted upon brackets 18, or other suitable supports located at the opposite end of the envelop or tank 11, are motors 19 which are of course controlled from the car 10 through suitable connections, as, for instance, control wires 20 as seen in Fig. 1, the inner end of the shaft 21of said motor being coupled to the opposite end of the shaft 18' by; a sleevecoupling 22 as seen in Fig. 7, threaded upon the 'ends of the shaft 13 and keyed to the ends of the two shafts 21, for instance, by means of keys 23 and pins 24.

Outwardly beyond the motors 19, the shafts 21 thereof support cylindrical tanks 25 terminating in conical extremities 26 and provided with spiral vanes or ribs 27 which form air displacing screws so as to propel the ship when the motor shaft 21, and consequently the tanks 25, are rotated.

As seen in Fig. 2, the conical ends 26 of the tanks 25 are preferably of separate construction, providing for their detachment in i order to reach and lubricate the several roller bearings 28 on the shaft '21. Each tank-has an internal support in the nature of a cylindrical frame work 29 having a series of hubs 30 which support the bearings 28 and which are in turn connected to the cylindrical frame 29 by a series of spokes 31.

As seen in Fig. 2 in particular, the spiral vane or fin 27 of the rotating tank25 may.

be slightly and gradually increased in width from the front to the rear end of the tank. As seen in this figure and in Fig. 1, as well as in Fig. 1, the spiral vane 27 may be continuous from end to end of the tank, while as seen in Fig. 9 it may be interrupted and in the form of arcuate sections 32. In this latter figure the cylindrical tank is indicated at 25 and its conical end at 26.

The main stationary tank 11 has at one tors 19 are controlled and which is supported from the tank 11 in the manner before stated, has a'rudder 3'7 and may also have any suitable and approved means of venting the tanks 11 and 25, as desired, to permit the ship to descend after flight.

The venting features last above spoken of are commonly incident to balloons and airships, and have not been illustrated in View of this fact, and the further fact that the present invention resides or is confined to other and different features.

I claim i 1. An airship including a car, an elongated cylindrical gas tank above and stationarily connected to the car and provided with an axial tube opening through the opposite ends thereof, a shaft journaled through the tube and projecting at its opposite ends beyond the ends of the tank, and rotatable tanks forwardly and rearwardly of the stationary tank, each mounted upon one end of the shaft and rotatable therewith and each provided with peripheral air displacing means.

2. A11 airship including a car having rigid uprights, a cylindrical gas tank above the car having an axial tube extending therethrough provided with depending arms within the tank at spaced oints intermediate the ends of the tube, rigid uprights extending vertically from the car and connected through the lower portion of the tank to the lower ends of said arms, a shaft having bearing through the tube, and rotatable tanks having peripheral air displacing means and mounted upon the opposite ends of the shaft as described.

3. An airship including a main stationary gas tank of elongated cylindrical form, a car supported thereby, a shaft journaled axially through the said tank, tanks mounted on and rotatable with the opposite ends of the said shaft in spaced relation beyond opposite ends of the main tank, motor supports carried by thev opposite ends of the main tank, and motors carried by said supports in connection with the shaft between the main tank and the rotatable, tanks, and peripheral air displacing means carried by the rotatable tanks as described.

KANUTE ARVID ENLIND. 

